Nuclear Regulatory Commission Rejects Requiring Reactors to Protect Themselves from Air Attacks

U.S. nuclear reactor operators cannot be required to protect their plants against being struck by airplanes in acts of terrorism, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ruled yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 9, 2006).

The commission unanimously rejected a petition by a Los Angeles nonprofit group calling for structural reinforcement of nuclear reactors or other measures to keep radiation from being released following an aircraft impact, the Washington Post reported.

“Nuclear power plants are pre-emplaced nuclear weapons near major cities,” said Daniel Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap.  “They can’t blow up like a nuclear bomb, but they can release a thousand times the radiation of the Hiroshima bomb.  They are the most attractive target for a terrorist to hit in our country.”

Commission Chairman Dale Klein countered that, “Nuclear reactors are inherently robust structures that our studies show provide adequate protection in a hypothetical attack by an airplane.”

The commission said it is up to the U.S. military and other agencies to prevent air strikes against nuclear reactors.  It noted that reactors must already be prepared for fires or explosions, and that requirements are being heightened for responding to “multiple coordinated groups of attackers, suicide attacks and cyber threats.”

Some lawmakers expressed disappointment with the decision.  It “reflects an inadequate industry-influenced approach that sacrifices security in favor of corporate profits,” said Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.).

An industry spokesman said that a 2002 computer modeling study determined that a radiation leak would not result from an aircraft strike on a nuclear facility, the Post reported (Steven Mufson, Washington Post, Jan. 30).

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